Composition for railroad-torpedoes.



UTTE STATE Pitliflithl f Olb l litlld.

FIN SPARRE, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, ASSIGNOR TO Tllli l5. l. DU FONT DE N EMOURS POWDER COMPANY, OF WlLMlNGTON DELAXVARE, A COR- PORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

COMPOSITION FOR RAlLROAD-TORPEDOES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed DecemberZl, 1905. Serial No. 292,814.

will be free of the defects characterizing those heretofore known.

The ordinary railroad-torpedo often fails to give a report that is sufficiently loud and I 5 sharp for signaling purposes, its composition is frequently dangerous, and it deteriorates or becomes insensitive when put on the tracks in damp or rainy weather, owing to absorption of moisture.

Specifically the object of the invention is toproduce a torpedo that will be free of all of these objections.

Another object of the invention is to provide a more effective substitute for ground 2 5 glass, pebbles, and like materials, which are added to increase friction when hit by the exploding means, which substitute will not only give great frictional heat, but will be otherwise also an active GOIIl]')OI1GIIt of the 3 composition. The invention is also applicable to caps, detonators and similar explosives.

My invention consists in 'a composition containing chlorate of potash, sulfur, a coat- 3 5 ing mixture, and ferrosilicon, preferably in the roportions hereinafter specified.

T 1e following compositions are examples of compositions embodying my invention: thirty to seventy per cent. chlorate of potash,

4 preferably fifty per cent; ten to forty per cent. sulfur, preferably twenty-five per cent. five to twenty-five per cent. coating mixture, preferably fifteen per cent. twenty per cent. or less ferrosilicon, preferably ten per cent.

The coating or indurating mixture is preferably that set forth in my application filed October 24, 1905, Serial No. 284,152-that is, nitrocellulose dissolved in a liquid mononitro compound of an. organic hydrocarbon 50 (such as mononitrotoluol) in which preferably a small quantity of a highernitrated solid nitro compound (such as trinitrotoluol) has liatented April 16, 1907.

of this mixture in the composition. Other oxygen carriers, such as other chlorates and perchlorates may be used. The ferrosilicon should. be in finely-divided or comminuted form.

To the above composition I prefer to add coarse-grained ferrosilicon, preferably hot ground finer than bird-shot, and it may be much coarser. If the coarse ferrosilicon is employed, the fine ferrosilicon may be omitted altogether; but this is not preferred in preparing the explosive the chlorate is first mixed with the sulfur. The mixture is then incorporated with the gelatinous coating material.' To the resultant mixture is added the ferrosilicon. If both fine and coarse ferrosilicon are employed as ingredi cuts, the fine ferrosilicon is first incorporated. with the chlorate, sulfur, and coating ingredient, as described, and then the coarse ferrosilicon is added, which may constitute as much as fifty per cent, but preferably should be about twenty per cent, of the composition. If the fine ferrosilicon alone is used, ground glass, pebbles, or other wellknown friction-increasing materials may be added.

In the foregoing composition the sulfur and the comnlinuted ferrosilicon are both combustible substances, the sulfur readily inniting and producing a moderate degree of heat and the lerrosilicon producing a re v high degree of heat, but igniting much readily. l prefer to employ both of th together. for the reason that together tl are much more effective than either a n probably because the sulfur in igniting: quickly ignites the fcrrosilicon, thus producing a compound substance that has=thc ad vantage of ready ignition combined with a high degree of heat. The coarse-grained for rosilicon takes the place of pebbles, ground. glass, and like'siibstances heretofore used in railroad-torpadoes. It is superior, however, to these substances. as it combines with hardness extreme brittleness and produces by the breaking down of its particles great friction, and hence a high degree of heat, to produce the reaction between the elements of the explosive proper.

*lhrpodoes embodying my improved comon ere much than other torpedoesv a of them need PQ-IUUSSlOll-CfiPS. it is w dent that exploding charges with inserted are dangerous. My composition does not require cops.

Having now fully" of sulfur ten to forty per cent, of a coating substance live to twenty-five per centyand l of ferrosilicon, in comminutcd form less than twenty per cent.

6. An explosive composition containing chlorate of potash, ferros: co and a coating; composition con ting or at hquid nlro compound conta ning stdution a normally solid nitro compound and rntrocelluloso. I

7. An explosive composition containing chlorate of potash, suli'ur, and a cozttlng com- "position GODSiSlLlIlg of aliquid nitro compound contaming in solution a, normally solid intro compound and nitrocellulose.

8. An explosive composition containing" chlorate of potash, sulfur, ferroszlicon, and a coating composition consisting of a liquid nitro compound containing in solution a normally solid nitro compound and nitrocollu lose. 7

In testimony of which invention I have hereunto set my hand, at Pl'xiladelphia, on this 19th day of December, 1905.

FIN SPARRE.

itnesses:

M. M. HAMILTON, THORNLEY B. Wool) 

